Automatic switch.



0. B. SNOW.r

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APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, 1910.

967,256. I Patented Aug. 16, 1910 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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0. B. SNOW.

` AUTOMATIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED .11.11.21, 1910.

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ORRIE B. SNOW, OF MOUNTAIN TOP, ARKANSAS.

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORRIE B. SNOW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mountain Top, in the county of Franklin and State of Arkansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in railway switches, and the objects thereof are to provide a device of this character which is entirely automatic in its operation; to provide a switch which may be actuated to open or closed position by coperative mechanism carried by a locomotive, street railway car, or similar rolling stock, said mechanism be readily controllable by the engineer, or other person in charge of the car, to devise means for operating the switch regardless of which` direction the train might be traveling; and to furnish means which positively locks the switch simultaneous with its movement to open or closed position.

To the accomplishment of the recited objects, the preferred embodiment of my invention resides in that construction and are rangementof parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and embraced within the scope of the appended claims.

In said drawings :-Figure 1 is a perspective view of the switch and it appurtenances. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken along lines 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an ele vation of the switch throwing mechanism secured to lthe cow-catcher of a locomotive. Fig. t is a perspective view of the switch actuating device detached, and adjusted for closing the switch. Fig. 5 is a similar view of the switch actuating device adjusted for openingA the switch. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the portion of the rear of a car broken away illustrating the application of a modified form of switch actuating mechanism, and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the support for said mechanism.

Similarl reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring more particularly to the drawings for a detail description of my invention, the numeral 1 designates the main rails, 2 the ties, and 3 the points of the switch.

specifica-tion of Lettersratent. Patented Aug. 16, 1910. Application filed January 24, 1910.

Serial N0. 539,727.

Arranged in parallelism and interadjacent with a pair of the ties 2, is a switch-bar l, which is equipped with integral shoulders 5 at its proximal ends, the said shoulders receiving and being fastened, as at 6, to the points 3. Superposed, and lying in the di rection of the length of the switch-bar 4, is a pair of opposed leaf-springs 7 having inner curvilinear terminals 8 and substantially inverted cone-shaped depending lugs 9. yllhe switch-bar l is supported by, and slidable on, a plate 10 rigidly secured transversely of the ties 2, and the switch-bar has a central opening 11 and smaller openings 12 on opposite sides of the latter, these openings corresponding with the openings 13 and 1A of the plate 10. The medial openings 11 and 18 are adapted to receive the block 15 carried by the shaft 16, which is disposed transversely of the ties and has terminal vertical projections 17, the upper end of said block having a pair of curved extensions 18.

As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the switch is closed, and the lug 9 lies in the alined openings 12 and 141, thereby establishing a positive lock for the switch-bar relative the plate 10. It will also be noted that the curvilinear terminal of one leaf-spring engages the block at a point intermediate the extensions 18, while the other is held in a raised position by the companion extension 18, and that the opposite lug 9 is commensurately elevated and its coperating openings 12 and 14 are relatively staggered or disalined. Now, when the block 15 is oscillated to the right, by mechanism to be presently described, the said bloclr elevates the leafspring located to the left so that the same assumes a similar position to that previously occupied by the opposed leafspring', thus disengaging the lug 9 from the plate 10, and permitting said block to force the switch-bar, in its path of movement to the right until the openings 12 and 111 are in registration and the lug 9 drops therein to lock the switch, as the latter is opened.

In Figs. 3 and 4L, and 5 of the drawings I have illustrated a device adapted to be attached to the cow-catcher of a locomotive for operating the improved switch. This device or shoe comprises a pair of bars 19 with upper flattened bearing portions 20 having vertical screw-threaded studs 21 which are secured by nuts 22 to the lower flange of the cow-catcher 23 to allow of a limited movement in a horizontal plane. The forward terminals of said bars are beveled, as at 24, anid the rear terminals are connected by the links 25, which are in turn pivotally secured to the bifureated end 26 of the rod 27. As exhibited in Fig. 4, the beveled terminals 24 of the bars lie contiguous so as to present the general conformation of a triangle, and this relation is maintained by the distended links 25, and is imparted through the medium of the rod 27 terminating in a lever connection (not shown) readily accessible to the engineer. When thus adjusted, the shoe is utilized to close the switch, the point formed by the junction of the two bars serving to contact with, and oscillate outwardly one of the vertical extensions 17, according` to the direction of travel of the locomotive. When it is desired to open the switch, the engineer forces the rod 27 forward and thereby spreads the terminals of thebars, as will be found upon inspection of Fig. 5. To preserve this adjustment of the bars I employ a keeper, as 28, the same being mounted on the outer proximal end of each bar, and a transversely disposed bar 29 provided `with a notch 30 adjacent each end and fastened to the cow-catcher by bolts 31, the keepers, obviously, engaging the notches. When the beveled portion of either of the bars impinges againstvone of the extensions 17, the latter is deiieeted along the inner face of the bar, whereupon the switch is opened.

, VFrequently it is found desirable to operate the switch from the rear of a moving car, and in such cases I make use of the shoe and appurtenances shown in Figs. 6 and 7. In this instance, the shoe consists of a bar 32 connected by the breast-piece 33 having a substantially U-shaped angular member` 34 secured centrally thereof. The front portion of the member 34 terminates in a handle 35, which is provided on its upper face with a latch 36 for engagement with the catch 37 depending from the beam of the ear 38. A brace 39 is fixed to the forward part of the shoe and serves as a connecting point for one end of a strong coil spring 40, the other end thereof being secured to the transverse bar 41, the ends of which protrude slightly beyond the terminals of the bar 32. .This bar 41 carries an upwardly projecting yoke 42, pivoted at 43, and having an extension, as at 44, at which point it straddles the bar 45, the latter having its forward end connected to the member k34 at 46, and its rear end connected to the car by the knuckle 47 to permit of movement in both horizontal and'vertical planes. Intermediate the ends of then bar 45 is a spring 48, the function of which will be presently explained. Supporting the bar 45 and arranged transversely of the car, is a metallic strip 49 bent so as to form alternate upwardly and downwardly projecting angular portions 5() and 51, respectively, the portions 51 being rabbeted to present notches 52.

In practice, the latch 36 is disconnected from the catch 37 and the bar 45 lowered into one of the angular portions 51, whereupon the extension 44 is interlocked with one of the notches 52. When the shoe strikes the vertical extension 17, the latter will ride along one of the outer faces thereof until it contacts with the protruded end of the bar 41, thereby oscillating the yoke 42, and disengaging the lip 44 from one of said angular portions. The spring 48 will then be free to exert sufficient pressure to force the bar 45 .upwardly from one of the angular portions 51 to a point on top of the angular portions 50. Preferably, three of the angular portions 51 are constructed in order that the bar 45 can be adjusted to open and close both left and right hand switches.

I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and details of construetion of the devices herein shown and described as an embodiment of my invention can be made without departing from the spirit of or sacrificing the benefits of my improvements, and I therefore reserve the right to make such changes and alterations in the form and proportion of parts as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

What is claimed, is

1. In a device for moving and locking railway points, the combination of a switchbar, a support for said switch-bar, said switch-bar and support each having a pair of openings, one of the openings in the switch-bar adapted to be alined with an opening in the support, while the other openings are disalined, a pair of opposed yieldable members fixed to said switch-bar, the adjacent terminals of each of said members being provided with a lug and a curved portion, one of said lugs being designed to enter the alined openings, and the other maintained in disengaged relation, and a block adapted to engage the curved portions of said members for moving the switch-bar to reverse the relation of said openings and lugs.

2. In a device for moving and locking railway points, the combination of a switchbar, a support for said switch-bar, the switch-bar and support lying in superposed relation and each having a major opening and a pair of smaller openings, one of the smaller openings in the switch-bar adapted to be alined with a smaller opening in the support while the other smaller openings are disalined, a pair of locking members carried by the switch-bar, one of said members being designed to enter the alined openings, and the other maintained in disengaged relation, and a. block extending through said major openings for moving the switch-bar to reverse the relation of said smaller openings and looking members.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ORRIE B. SNOW. Witnesses:

G. H. RICE, C. A. SNOW. 

